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Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I seem to be relentlessly drawn to animals in Paris... 
Maybe animaux anywhere attract my attention... 
I saw this delightful tea-serving Panda working the Nestle stand at the Salon du chocolat in October... 
A crew of zebras was coralled into serving Nestle's new teas as well! 
Meanwhile over on rue Bonaparte, les chats were quite busy... 
Who could not have used the aid of a good cat server during their New Years Eve soiree? 
Cats readily assist lamps in Paris all the time evidently... 
On the other hand these roosters on rue Madame are just standing around looking elegant. I have yet to enter the very exclusive Oderantes fleurist shop - quelle dommage. 
What's not to love about this hound in a hat? 
A whimsical ostrich is not to be outdone sporting a cigarette holder to boot... 
Jules Pansu boutique at 42 rue Bonaparte is the place to go if you must have amusante animaux coussins. 
Over the long holiday I've been thinking about sending your animaux/pets off to Venice and making sketches and doodles... 
I was chatting with Brit watercolorist, Ian Sidaway about pets in Venice, and he says you can only send CATS to Venice. I beg to differ! 
Why your average hound would not enjoy a trip in a Gondola on the Grand Canal is beyond me! 
Frankly, I think you can send BOTH cats and dogs to Venice. They will behave perfectly as long as you throw them the occasional bone or sardine non? I am taking myself off to Venice in March and I might meet up with Ian on a gondola or at the gelateria... What do YOU think?
Would you like your pet painted in Venice/Venise?
Do Tell all.
BONJOUR Animaux au Paris & Venice!!
Monday, October 25, 2010
BEAR thought it might be fun to invite you along for the trip from London to Paris on the Eurostar (or 'The Chunnel' as we American heathens call it...)
After you book online, and as far in advance as possible for the best prices, you've got to high tail it over to St. Pancras Station.
Eeeek! It's only 4:10 AM and our train is not until at 5:25 AM
Another eeek!
We were moaning to David at the Club about how early we had to get up to catch the 5:25 AM to Paris. But he reminded us that we did pay less, the train would be way less crowded (it was) And we'd be in Paris much, much sooner then if we took a later train.
St. Pancras is practicment vide/empty..
St. Pancras railroad station was designed by Gilbert Scott and built in 1868. Though it's been renovated for expanded service, it still retains many Victorian details like these gothic windows...
Really quite a thrilling space to have all to yourself...
AND there are at least 20+ shops to browse, almost all of them closed. Bear contemplates lovely catty socks - too purfect...sigh 
Ah...a Bear hat!
And a FREE cuppa!
Clever Pain Quotidien IS open for hungry travelers fortunately...
We take a look at the check-in board.
Check-in is approaching...
You smash your ticket agains the square window et voila!
You wait some more inside. Other people are busy taking last pictures of London...
BEAR waits patiently...
BEAR gets impatient!
BEAR is first going up the flat escalators to the trains.
BEAR searches for coach #2, seat #72.
At last BEAR settles in and falls instantly to sleep.
BEAR waits patiently...
BEAR gets impatient!
BEAR is first going up the flat escalators to the trains.He has adopted New York pushy ways I'm afraid...
BEAR searches for coach #2, seat #72.
At last BEAR settles in and falls instantly to sleep.zzzz...
BEAR wakes up to catch a glimse of French countryside.
BEAR wakes up to catch a glimse of French countryside.Where did the time go?
Et voila!
Back on the streets comme d'habitude red red red...
More RED!
If you're wondering what BEAR is reading on his travels, he found Martha Gelhorn's (former wife of Hemingway) book, Travels with Myself and Another in London. The catchy subtitle grabbed him -
Et voila!Back in Paris at busy Gare du Nord Bear heads for the Metro.
Back on the streets comme d'habitude red red red...
More RED! If you're wondering what BEAR is reading on his travels, he found Martha Gelhorn's (former wife of Hemingway) book, Travels with Myself and Another in London. The catchy subtitle grabbed him - '5 Journeys from Hell'
Perfect reading everytime we wanted to moan about something like getting up insanely early to catch the Eurostar to Paris...ahem
BONJOUR EUROSTAR!
Friday, July 9, 2010
There is something about a Metro sign that just says P A R I S isn't there?
The sign at station Concorde. 
So many ways to spell P A R I S...
Getting lost in the Metro - where would we be without those maps with their special coating making them indistructable to our pointing fingers...
Never get lost again on the Paris Underground! Learn who decides what color each line will be. Study over earliest Metro maps from 1886 and find out who designed them. Those funny seats in the stations? Who designed them? It's all inside this book and ooodles more information to keep the armchair traveler happy for days. Or just gaze at the pictures longingly as I do...
Even the typeface is the same used inside the Metro! Who knew? I was doodling whilst listening to NPR Weekend Edition - Secret Stations And Boyhood Love On The Paris Metro.
British author, Mark Ovenden, waxed poetic about the Metro. I had to get this book. It's full of wonderful Parisien graphics to drool over.
Paris and the Metro are so integrated. At Station Sevres-Babylon the walls are covered with elegant huge ads for Le Bon Marche just like back in the '20's.
Same thing with astonishing Jean-Paul Goude Galeries Lafayette posters/afiche at Station Chausee d'Antin La Fayette.
I took a look at the graphics in one of New York's posher stations, 60th and Fifth avenue. What did I find? Parrot mosaics and ads for 'Drink Muscle Milk'.
Hello Bergdorf Goodmans! You can do better than that.
Every detail about the Metro is well thought out. Like these location maps that greet you when you step off a train. In New York if you find one, it's placed at knee-level. You have to get on the floor for a good look. What's up with that MTA?
What's not to love about the Metro? Certainly maintaining the arte deco signage adds to Paris glamour.
A few doors down from the Vaneau station is a mini version in a jewelry shop window - how witty is that?
Everyday I eat on Metro map placemats under a bigger Metro map on the wall. Am I crazy? Absolutely not. Only the best designers created these - you can't go wrong.
I added to my collection a Metro map makeup/pencil case. I kicked myself again and again that I did not buy the eraser and matching notebook.
Who doesn't dream about sleeping in Metro map sheets?
Author Mark Ovenden's two British ex-pat cats,Yin and Yang get to sleep amidst piles of Metro paraphernalia, lucky ducks...
Londoner Mark visited Paris on a school trip. He wanted to stay in the underground but his teachers insisted on the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre so he had to move back to Paris and write this book and we're very lucky for it.
This is my Metro map covered in scotch tape and marked up to a fair thee well. I refuse to leave home without it.
I own Mark's Transit Maps of the World. If you love maps and I don't mean chocolate maps, you will love this book too.
Bear is an avid Metro map reader. If you hang out with map readers, you will end up one - c'est comme ca.
Dogs do not pay to ride the Paris Metro I'm happy to report...
Have expat cats Yin and Yang been on the Metro? Mark didn't say...
BONJOUR PARIS UNDERGROUND!
Watch this little video - almost as good as being there...
*PS An excellent tip from SHELLEY:There's a great website for the Paris metro that instantly shows you your route -- have you run across it? Click your departure station & then the green flag, followed by your arrival station & the red flag, and voilå, the shortest route lights up! I have an armchair addiction for it, but do understand the charms of paper maps, too. Thanks Shelley. I'm now addicted too. Did you know you can take a TOUR of the Metro? It's true.
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